Monument record MDR14875 - ?Wing dams (remains of), south of the River Trent, Foremark

Situated on the south bank of the River Trent at SK 333 278 is a stone and earth feature sticking out in to the river, of approximately triangular shape. The upstream face of this feature is protected with a stone revetment of roughly shaped blocks. Immediately to the west, possibly due to the building of this revetment, an area of marsh and silt has built up. Immediately adjacent and to the east of this are the remains of a destroyed but similar structure. To the south of these features is a large pit, which is clearly visible on LiDAR imagery. 100 metres to the south-west is a small, apparently multiphase, stone building. An initial interpretation was that these structures may be post-medieval wharves, however they are now considered more likely to be wing dams, or wing dykes. Wing dykes were constructed along the River Trent by the end of the 18th century to facilitate making the Trent navigable. The pit to the south would have been used for the excavation of gravel or clay for the infill of the dykes behind the upstream stone revetments. (1)